Chapter 26: Combat Emperor
After a good sweat, Erza cooled off by dipping in the pool.
Overlooking the infinity pool on the 10th floor, one could see the majestic view of K-City.
Countless skyscrapers stand tall.
'Such a beautiful city.'
The K-City from his past life was a ruin.
The beautiful rivers dried up.
The shiny buildings reduced into rubbles.
There was no resemblance to the current view he's enjoying at all.
A sense of pride welled up in him.
'Naresia's icon, The Three Towers.'
About a few kilometers away from the hotel, was one of the tallest buildings in the world.
The Three Towers signify the progressiveness and modernization of the country.
Many countries were envious of Naresia's status and achievements.
7.15 pm.
The orange sky slowly turned dark.
He got out of the pool and dried himself.
"I was wondering where did you go."
A soft voice spoke.
It was Aqua Rose.
Erza glanced at her perfect proportions.
"Yea, I needed a good swim."
He nonchalantly answered her while wiping the moisture from his Greek-God body.
If this was before the apocalypse, both of them would be hailed as one of the most beautiful looking couples.
"Care to have another one with me?"
Aqua Rose's words were mixed with sexual innuendos.
"You know the rules. Stay indoors before 7.30 pm."
To minimize risk, everyone has to be inside the building before nightfall.
Infected is the most active after dusk.
"Then, we can spend the night at my roo-"
"Maybe next time."
Erza casually rejected her invitation.
Sex during the doomsday is a way for humans to release their pent up stress.
'It's said to be also one of the most basic needs.'
In his past life, he had experienced countless women for stress release.
'People would only be persuaded by benefits.'
As the weaker gender physically, women have to do everything they can to survive.
That includes selling their body.
Therefore, the concept of sex in the apocalypse would also mean an exchange of benefits.
'But love is something most people don't talk about.'
With the desperation of fighting the Infected who gets stronger by time, they had less to no time for love.
Love is just a very foreign concept to Erza.
"Sigh."
Aqua Rose didn't felt too dejected by Erza's objection.
'I know these kinds of men.'
Erza has commitment issues, according to her observation.
An issue where one fears the problems that would arise when they lose someone they love or committed to.
A pain that was so deep that it could drive one to madness.
Aqua Rose looked at Erza's broad yet lonely back.
…
Puke!
A middle-aged man vomited.
"Zeh! Zeh! Master Zeta, this is crazy!"
Director Jing laid down the floor of a gym.
It was 6.30 am.
It has become a routine for Erza's team workout after dawn.
"I said I'll treat you like Big Mark and Kara when we complete the mission. You agreed to this."
Both Director Jing and Aqua Rose had a different expectation.
"Get up, Han Jing. Training's not over yet, don't embarrass yourself."
Big Mark pulled his overweight body up.
Erza's morning training was a way to instill discipline and focus on himself.
As the team follows closely, it resulted in efficient and proficient teamwork like the gears in a high-precision machine.
"Zeta told you about the Evolution Nucleus, right? Just take some and you'll get stronger!"
Kara spoke to Aqua Rose who had a very pale face.
Both Aqua Rose and Director Jing had mixed feelings about staying now.
After the training, they went back to freshen up and have breakfast.
At 8.00 am, they gathered at the rooftop.
"Team, today we're going to P-Town and KG-District. Target profiles are sent to your cellphones!"
Erza pointed to his phone.
He showed them the faces of his relatives on its screen.
The images were then transferred to their mobile devices.
Over these few days, Bucky has managed to create their unique 'Intranet'.
As the devices are in working conditions, they could locate, talk and send information to each other.
They do not need to depend on the internet connection at all.
Bucky was their internet!
'I've added some security so that our network won't get hacked easily.'
As he tests his ability further, he discovered that the cyber-world is as vast as the ocean.
Countless hackers still exist during the apocalypse.
Bucky did not want to contact them as it would jeopardize their identity.
"Final check and move out in five!"
The weapons, supplies, and food have been loaded.
One of the strategic resources that Erza 'borrowed' from the Air Force Base was military-grade MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat).
'Now we can have better nutrition meals on the go.'
Chocolates and energy bars are convenient because they are portable and high in calories.
But it won't give them many benefits in terms of vitamins and minerals.
The MREs are meant for soldiers that needed enough nourishments to perform optimally in battle!
Du-dudu-du!
The helicopter's rotors started spinning.
The gale produced knocked back the dust and debris on the rooftop.
A team of nine puts on helmets.
The helmets were modified by Bucky to transmit sound via the speakers and microphones were added enabling communication.
It'll convenient as they could still hear order amidst the thunderous sound of the helicopter.
Whoosh!
…
<Team, approaching P-Town! ETA 0820 hours!>
Mrs. Numee checked her wrist.
It was an Orange Watch but was slightly modified.
Aside from showing the time, it'll also detect the heart rates of the members, indicating their life signs.
This vital signal would be transmitted to Bucky, and he would relay the statuses if needed.
Bucky acts as a walking, living Central Command.
His role would be to operate behind the scenes and ensure crucial information gets fed to the team.
<Team, prepare for deployment!>
Erza gave his orders.
He pointed at a housing area.
<S1 Infected numbers: 61. S2 Infected: Zero! No sight of targets among Infected!>
Bucky reported.
Another feature that he enhanced in the Infected recognition software is the Infected Type Classification and Target Recognition.
The software could differentiate between S1 Infected and S2 Infected.
The S2 they met had its features mapped and recognized, contributing to its algorithm.
Erza helped him with the minor details.
Also in the event that his relatives turned into an Infected, they would do the necessary action.
<Zoltan! Right up the target's house!>
The helicopter flew right above a house with light blue roofs.
Shwak!
Ropes were released from the helicopter.
<Zarwi, Keratous, get ready!>
Erza, Mrs. Numee, and Big Mark are the first probing team.
They were selected for the first team to deploy because of their abilities.
Erza as the leader and damage dealer.
Mrs. Numee as a medic.
Big Mark as the vanguard.
They only needed to send a small team to scout the situation inside first.
A backup will descend if they needed help.
Sss!
The sound of gloves rubbing against thick ropes at a high speed.
The helicopter is up five meters above the target's house.
Their descent was fast.
The risk of amateurs descending a rope that fast is that you could suffer from severe burns of your palms, or injure your legs when you land incorrectly.
Big Mark's Talent 'Induration' would negate the damages as his body hardens. He is now able to select which body parts to toughen with training.
Mrs. Numee can heal herself as quickly as she took damage.
Erza would use his Super Strength to apply counter force and minimize the impact.
Crack!
They landed on the roof tiles.
Bang!
Erza blew a hole on his aunt's roof.
'Sorry, Aunt Adda!'
They jumped into the house.
Aunt Adda was Mrs. Numee's fifth sibling, one of her three sisters among ten siblings.
Swoop!
With a powerful flap, the clouds of dust dispersed.
Roooar!
A familiar shriek was heard inside the house.
…
6.15 pm.
With the helicopter's speed, they had reached the 4th house for today.
After deploying into the house, they couldn't find any Infected inside.
There were also no Infected detected when they flew around the area.
They also couldn't find their bodies.
<Negative! Target is not present. I repeat, targets are not present.>
Erza updated their finding.
'The Horde might have been attracted to a nearby location.'
<Zeta, there might be a shelter four kilometers west.>
True enough to Erza's deduction, Bucky reported a piece of information.
<Roger that, Zoltan. How is the helicopter's condition?>
Prolonged flights might result in overheating.
<It needs to cool off, permission to find a place to land.>
The metal bird has to rest its engine after a whole day of flying.
'We couldn't risk overheating it.'
Damaging the engine would render them helpless, counterproductive of what they intended for the aircraft to do.
<Permission granted! Zephyr, I need your help to form a strike team. The rest will guard the helicopter!>
Feera slid down the rope.
He used his telekinetic powers to form a 'Partial Barrier' on his palm to protect his hands from rope burns, and also form a 'cushion' under his feet to reduce the impact.
Bucky then flew around and found a flat area on a hillside nearby the suburban residence.
Mr. Zayf, Kara, Aqua Rose, and Director Jing stayed within the helicopter with Bucky.
True to the information he provided, there was a survivor's shelter.
The drones they flew found a gated community hall building with fortified walls being surrounded by Infected.
S1: 252
S2: 3
The software showed the numbers on Erza's phone screen.
"Team, the shelter is in trouble. There's three S-2 Infected!"
Hiss!
They were surprised by the announcement.
One S-2 was hard enough for two Class-9 Awakened to kill, then how about three?!
"Prepare for battle! Here's the plan!"
The S1 Infected surrounded the shelter.
They would snipe them to death until they wiped every single one out.
"I'll distract the three S-2! Once the Horde is cleared, search for our targets and extract them out!"
Erza gave clear instructions.
"But Zeta, isn't it too much for you to handle?"
Big Mark asked out of concern.
"Keratous, when have I done things that I'm not sure that I'll win?"
Erza's declaration gave them confidence.
With the speed and endurance of five human adults, four kilometers was not a challenge.
The shelter was in chaos.
Tens of men dropped like flies.
Three shadows had climbed the fortified brick wall that kept the S-1 Infected out.
'S-2 Infected!'
Slash!
Erza cut his palm.
Blood starts to flow out.
Sss-
He inhaled a huge amount of air
"Hey morons! Over here!!"
His screamed shook the air.
Chwee. Chwee!
Multiple shrills were heard.
The S-2 Infected were drawn by Erza's voice and blood.
The reason they were attracted was that his blood smells far more delicious than the normal humans they have been killing.
To the mutated Infected, an Awakened would be a better 'meal' than an unevolved human.
Their flesh contained more nutrients.
In the future, scientists understood the relationship between Awakened and Infected.
'They complete each other!'
If a human needs Evolution Nucleus to evolve, Infected needs Awakened to grow stronger.
They needed to consume Awakened's flesh to grow stronger!
"Come, idiots! My body's been aching for some real workout!"
Three furious figures dashed to Erza's location.
'Let's see...20%!'
His muscles contracted. Veins popped up.
Erza released one-fifth of his true power.
Doosh!
The ground cracked as he propelled himself forward.
Pah! Pah! Pak!
Three punches landed on all three S-2's heads each.
Kwaak!
Before the S-2 could extend their muscular arms, Erza intercepted their momentum.
They were stopped in their tracks.
Erza's jabs startled them and made them shriek.
An S-2's attack patterns are quite similar.
They would use their sharp claws as their weapon, and their large arms as a shield.
'The key is to act before them.'
Having battling them constantly in his past life, it wasn't an exaggeration if he could kill all three S-2 in one blow during his peak.
But Erza had to adapt. He has not reached his previous life's level.
His punches were so fast that the S-2s can't follow with their eyes.
Bam! Crash!
The three S-2 Infected were so disorganized.
Each one of them wants to kill the sweet-tasting human in front of them, but their instincts bore greed towards themselves.
In the flurry of a battle, there were instances where an S-2 accidentally hit another S-2.
Growl!
They were hissing at each other, warning them that this prey is theirs!
'Hmph, mediocre. Must've mutated just recently.'
Newborn S-2 Infected were likes kids in kindergarten.
"Oi, nincompoops. Are we going to fight or you three kill each other first?"
Hiss!
After mutation, the S-2 gained a little intelligence.
They sense when they are being provoked.
"That got your attention. Right, who wants to die first?"
Crash!
Two of the three S-2s charged towards Erza.
Their bloody maw had long black tongue sticking out while running.
Kwee!
As they were about to pounce on a delicious smelling human, it disappeared in front of them.
Kwee?
"Since you can't even follow my speed, I guess you don't need your eyes."
Squish!
Kwaaaak! Kak! Ka!
Erza utilized his superb footwork and turned into a blur.
With Super Strength being channeled to his leg muscles, he's almost moving at a speed of ten times faster than an average human.
He then pierced both S-2's eyes with his fingers!
The two S-2 lost their bearings and start to go on a blind rampage.
Roooar!
The last S-2 Infected was a little smarter.
It knew that Erza was a special human, perhaps stronger than it.
So it waited when all three parties were tired and exhausted, it will swoop in and eat the human.
"Aren't you a clever one?"
Before the single S-2 could react, a punch was delivered to its face.
Pa! Pa! Crash!
The punch was so blisteringly fast, the S-2 only felt the impact after it flew and crashed to the nearby wall.
Kwaak-
'20% is only enough to dislocate its jaw, huh?'
The single S-2 rose up from the rubbles.
Its lower mandible was hanging like a pendulum.
'At least the S-2s strength and toughness is the same as my past life. Good!'
Erza felt relieved.
The Infected's strength after mutation did not change, albeit appearing a little earlier than the timeline he remembered.
'But three S-2 in a location, hm.'
The S-2 was supposed to appear after a month in the apocalypse.
That said, their numbers were also pretty scarce.
In a Horde, there would be only one. Sometimes, none.
Only as time progresses, more and more S-2 would have appeared.
"Alright, I'm now officially bored with you guys. Thanks for the playtime!"
Roaaar!
Erza's mocking tone made all three of them felt furious.
Crash! Crack!
Three S-2 Infected darted towards Erza.
Although two S-2s were blinded, they still had their ears and nose.
And being an Infected that is fueled by their base primal instincts, they would charge to their prey without fear.
Even after having its jaw broken.
Their huge bodies accelerated, becoming juggernauts of destruction.
Erza calmly stood and unmoving.
"Su-"
He took in a light breath.
"Here's a 'farewell gift' to the three brave dummies."
Kraang!
With a thunderous sound, Erza turned into a blur and vanished.
He appeared right above the S-2s.
'Kilat Arts: Sparrow Pecks the Worms!'
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Three heavy fists were launched at a neck-breaking speed!
Puchi! Crack!
The three S-2 Infected's visions went dark.
Their skulls have been destroyed with a single punch from Erza.
Gray matters flew everywhere, creating a beautiful splash of death.
Pa.
Three behemoth bodies finally laid down to rest, forever.
Sss-
Smoke was coming out of Erza's fists.
'Not bad, I've not gotten rusty.'
At last, the world has witnessed for the first time, the ancient martial arts that made Erza being crowned the legendary name 'Combat Emperor Zeta'!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Spontaneous_Aedi
Spontaneous_Aedi To my readers, I apologize for not releasing any chapters for the past three days.
Work is finally done, and I could edit the chpaters I have written over the weekend.
For your patience, here is a long chapter for you guys!
Oh, another chapter comes up in a few more minutes!
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